The Lighter Sideof Getting Hurt
by caseymac42
Summary: Not every "owie" story needs to be dramatic. Each chapter will feature a different character and how he/she deals with being a patient.
1. Chapter 1

**The Lighter Side…of Getting Hurt**

**Chapter 1…Mike**

Mike Stoker had been in a traffic accident while driving home from his brother Marty's house. While his pickup truck didn't fare so well, he amazingly had escaped with only moderate injuries. A dislocated left shoulder, four broken ribs, and a concussion, along with various bruises and cuts were what he was lucky to only end up with.

With 51's A-shift in the midst of a four day stretch of being off, most of the guys had been out of town, with the exception of Marco Lopez and John Gage. The accident having happened earlier in the day, it was now some time after six in the evening, and Mike was resting as comfortably as could be expected under the circumstances. He had just received a visit from his doctor, Dr. Pringle, when Marco and Johnny entered the room.

"Mike, how are you doing, buddy?" Johnny asked with concerned as he casted a wary eye over his friend's appearance.

"I'm alright, Johnny…a bit banged up, but Dr. Pringle assured me that I'll be okay. I'll be missing a few shifts, but I'll be good as new in a couple weeks. Have a seat. How are you guys doing?"

Marco shook his head wearing a look of disbelief on his face. "We're fine, Mike…YOU'RE the one who was in an accident."

"It's no big deal, Marco. I made out a lot better than my truck did."

Scrunching up his nose a bit, Johnny sighed softly. "Not so good, huh?"

Mike shook his head, before grimacing in pain. "Nope…a total loss. It'll be okay, though. My brother Marty has a spare car that he can lend me until I get another set of wheels."

"That's good. What exactly happened?" Johnny asked interestedly, as he leaned forward in his seat.

Licking his dry lips, Mike closed his eyes for a moment as a small wave of pain and dizziness washed over him. Sensing that the engineer was not doing well, Johnny was immediately up.

Laughing softly, Mike held up his good right arm. "Can't take the paramedic out of you, can we, Johnny? I'm alright. It passes quickly. So…you guys wanna know what happened. Well, I was coming home from Marty's house. I had been helping him with some projects around his house yesterday, and decided to stay over. On my way home this morning, I was going through an intersection when some moron decided to go through a red light…I was broadsided on the driver's side."

"What station was on scene?"

"Station 110, Marco. And don't worry, Johnny…Hogan and Fuhrman took good care of me."

Smiling, Johnny shrugged his shoulders. "I don't doubt that…of course they aren't as good as me and Roy…"

Interrupting their visit was an older nurse who was apparently from the old school of nursing…very no nonsense.

"Visit is over, gentlemen. It is time for Mr. Stoker's enema," said the nurse in a 'don't argue with me' kind of tone.

Pushing both Johnny and Marco out of the way, she started to push the curtain around Mike's bed.

"Wait a minute…just wait a minute…" Mike started to protest.

Looking behind her as she started to get the preparations done for the procedure that she was about to do, the nurse, whose name was Hilde, looked behind her at the two men who were still in the room, and as surprised as Mike himself was. "Out…" she bellowed.

Standing their ground the two firefighters weren't quite sure what to do, but Johnny had an idea that something wasn't quite right about all of this.

Yanking the curtain back, Mike tried to catch Hilde's attention before she started something that he knew he was not going to appreciate.

"Wait…Dr. Pringle was just here…he didn't say anything about an enema."

"What can I say, sweetheart?" she replied as she jerked the curtain back into place. "Over…" came the stern order.

Mike's head was spinning. Like anyone who'd been or was currently a firefighter, he'd been injured and in the hospital before, but he never had to be subjected to anything like this.

Johnny and Marco were still in the room, a look of shock and confusion still registering on their faces.

As Hilde was about to push Mike over onto his side and start the procedure, a younger nurse came running into the room.

"Stop…stop…Hilde. That enema isn't for Mike Stoker…you have the wrong patient."

Peeking from around the curtain, Hilde gave her younger counterpart an irritated look. "What are you talking about, Katy? The doctor's orders said Mike Stoker…"

Shaking her head animatedly, Katy continued on. "The orders are for Mike Stokler…room 2205…this is Mike Stoker…room 2204."

Looking down at Mike, Hilde gave him a small smile. "Sorry, sweet cheeks…maybe next time."

Gathering her supplies, Hilde followed Katy out the door, leaving Marco and Johnny laughing hysterically.

Pulling the curtain back, Mike peered over at his two friends, a not very amused expression on his face.

"Are you guys finished, yet?" He asked in a deadpan voice.

Holding up his hand, Johnny tried to talk, but instead ended up gasping for air.

Stopping long enough to talk was Marco. "You are so lucky Chet wasn't here."

Pointing his right index finger over at the two men, he waved them over. "You guys say anything about this to Kelly…I'll make your lives a living hell."

Mike would go on to spend another two days in the hospital, and after a few weeks of recuperation, would recover to rejoin his friends at 51's. As promised, Johnny and Marco never mentioned a word about the embarrassing mix up, to anyone. While Mike appeared to be quiet and reserved on the outside, they both knew that he was perfectly capable of being "revengeful" if necessary. Remembering the old saying "don't cross the engineer" the two men never spoke about it again.

**THE END**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Lighter Side…of Getting Hurt**

**Chapter 2…Chet**

A four-day off stretch of time in early August found the four bachelor members of 51's A-shift embarking on a carefree weekend in Lake Arrowhead. Johnny's good friend Murphy Greenbush, a police officer with the LAPD, had a brother who owned a cabin near the lake and often let other friends and family members utilize it.

Making the ninety mile drive from Los Angeles to the lakeside community in Mike's 1970 red Ford Bronco, the four friends had stowed their bags in the back, and left an hour after they had gotten off shift that Friday morning. Not wanting to listen to the constant bickering that he was sure would ensue if he had let both Chet and Johnny sit together in the back seat, Mike wanted Johnny sitting shotgun. Besides the obvious move of keeping him separated from Chet, the advantage to having the paramedic up front with him was that Johnny was a good navigator, and also had been to the cabin before.

During the ninety mile drive there was the typical argument of what kind of music to play. Everyone had brought their favorite eight-track tapes. Mike and Johnny had both wanted to hear the Eagles, while Chet had wanted a dance compilation tape to be played, and Marco was all for Santana. By default due to the fact that Mike was the driver, and it was Johnny's connections that got them the cabin…the Eagles won out.

After making the two hour trip, the four men arrived at their destination. Smiling at the scene before them, Mike, Chet, and Marco all dropped their jaws, as Johnny had already been to the cabin on a few other occasions.

"This isn't a cabin, Gage…it's a mansion," Chet exclaimed excitedly.

The cabin in question was a fair size larger than what people immediately thought of when an image of a log cabin came to mind. It was made mostly out of logs, but the base of the house was made out of stones. It was nestled in a hill overlooking the lake, and had a wraparound porch that was partially supported by stilts. There were several windows in the front and sides of the house, and the front door was a large red wooden one with a brass knob and knocker.

"How many bedrooms does this place have?"

"Four, Mike…that means none of us have to share a room with Chet," Johnny replied with chuckle.

Chet still in awe of the majesty of the structure, asked Johnny another question.

"And what exactly does Murphy's brother do for a living?"

"He's a lawyer."

"No wonder he can afford this place. It would take the four of us like forever to be able to buy something like this."

"Yeah, it sure would Marco. Let's leave our stuff in the car…we'll get it later. Let me show you the place…it's pretty amazing. And just so you know…the master bedroom is mine."

Making their way up the stone walk, Johnny pulled out the house keys from his pocket, and unlocked the front door. They were greeted by a large great room with a big stone fireplace, and wooden floors. Leather and wooden furniture adorned the room. Off to the left of the room was a cook's dream kitchen.

"Wow…look at this place," Chet excitedly commented.

"What kind of lawyer is he, Johnny?" Mike asked curiously.

"Criminal lawyer mostly, I think, but he's so smart and good at what he does that he could do any kind of law."

The four men continued to follow Johnny on the tour of the house.

Once the initial excitement started to wear off a bit, they unloaded their bags from Mike's car, and settled into their weekend lodging.

Looking out the large window that overlooked the lake, Chet was enthralled with the people who were water skiing.

"I know what I want to do tomorrow."

Standing up next to his friend, the paramedic followed Chet's gaze out the window and down to the lake.

"Water skiing? YOU are going to water ski?" Johnny asked with great skepticism.

"Why not? Since I accidentally burned my snow skis last year when I was trying to wax them, I figure that I would try my hand at water skiing."

The other three men exchanged amused glances.

During the rest of that first day, each man did whatever he wanted. Mike took a nap, Marco read a book out on the porch overlooking the lake, Johnny went exploring, and Chet spent the afternoon perusing the brochures about what recreational activities there were in this community.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The next morning after eating breakfast the four friends set out to explore the town. They each had a few things that they really wanted to do, but all agreed that they did want to go boating on the lake. Despite the very comfortable home that Murphy's brother Dan had at the lake, he didn't own a boat, not wanting to deal with the upkeep of it, especially in the winter season. So the guys decided that they would rent a motor boat for the weekend.

The first stop was to one of the boat rental places to see what their options were as far as renting a boat, or more specifically a motor boat. They also inquired about renting water skis, and other recreational equipment. Once they got all of their information, they returned to the house to get ready for their day out at the lake.

A bag with some sodas, sandwiches, and chips was packed, along with a thermos of ice water. Each man brought a towel and a backpack with any other items that he wanted to bring…suntan lotion, magazines, or the like. Mike brought a battery operated radio, and Johnny also packed the small first aid kit that he had brought from home…after all, a paramedic is never unprepared. Once the car was packed for their day of fun in the sun, the four friends set off on their lake adventure.

Arriving at the boat dock, they boarded their boat, a mid-size motor boat, and put on their life jackets. Once they got their gear situated, the only thing left for them to do was to decide which one of them would have the privilege of driving the boat for the first leg of their adventure.

"I'm senior man on the crew," stated Mike matter-of-factly.

Giving the engineer an irritated look, Chet crossed his arms against his chest. "What does that have to do with anything? We're not on duty, so being the senior man doesn't mean a darn thing…and besides we all pretty much started at 51's at the same time. You're no more senior than me, Marco, or Johnny."

Annoyed that Chet was making a big deal about it, Marco wanted to put an end to it.

"What difference does it make, Chet? We'll all get a chance to drive the boat. Besides, I thought you were more interested in water skiing?"

Sighing loudly, Johnny motioned to the ignition. "Start the boat, Mike…or we'll be here all day."

Smiling, Mike nodded his head, and started the boat.

Not knowing the "lay of the water" so to speak, Mike was cautious in how fast he was going, and opted to go slower and familiarize himself with the lake. As Mike maneuvered their boat around the two square miles of lake, the other men took in the sights. There were other motor boats, people kayaking and in rowboats, and there were still others swimming. They also marveled at the other beautiful lakefront homes.

After an hour of motoring around the lake, Chet grew restless.

"Okay…it's time for some action."

"Action?" The other men asked in unison.

"Yeah…it's time for me to demonstrate my sea legs. Like I said before…I never did get to snow ski. Now it's my chance to try water skiing."

Mike pulled alongside a dock so the boat could be prepared for pulling a water skier. The sturdy rope with a handle on the end of it was attached to an eyelet near the back of the boat, and knotted appropriately by Marco.

Chet, anxious to get started, was sitting on the edge of the dock putting on the skis.

"Chet, don't you think some land training might be a good idea?" offered Johnny.

"Land training? Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't these WATER skis?"

Shaking his head, Marco explained the paramedic's comment. "Chet, he means it might be a good idea to put the skis on while standing on land, or at least this dock. It will help your balance."

"My balance, Marco? There's nothing wrong with my balance. Gage is the one who is seemingly always getting hurt. I'm not the one who fell off a skateboard and into a cactus, getting needles in my…"

Johnny held up his hand to prevent his longtime nemesis from going any further.

"Okay, Chet…have at it."

Making sure his life jacket was snug, and his skis were fastened correctly, Chet was handed the rope with the handle on it, by Marco, and motioned that he was ready.

At the front of the boat, Johnny was trying to convince Mike to let him drive.

"Mike, you said that we would take turns. And besides, isn't it enough that Roy never gives up his driving privileges?"

"How about since this is Chet's first time on skis, I drive for a bit? When we are convinced that Chet isn't going to kill or injure himself, then you can take over? Deal?"

Nodding his head, Johnny agreed with the engineer.

Giving Mike the "okay" signal, Chet was ready to go. With the rope in hand, he had his feet with the skis on them dangling over the side of the dock and in the water. Mike started the boat back up, and carefully pulled away from the dock, towing Chet behind him. Watching him intently were both Johnny and Marco.

"How's he doing back there, Johnny?" asked a semi-concerned Mike.

"He's actually doing pretty well. We may have sold old Chester B. a little short."

After being pulled around the lake for fifteen minutes, Chet insisted that he try jumping the ramp.

"Are you nuts, Chet?" a stunned Marco asked his friend.

"No, I'm not nuts, Marco. I feel really good on these things. I'm destined to be a water skier."

Both Mike and Johnny tried as well to dissuade him from trying to jump the ramp, but were not successful in their attempt.

"Fine, Chet. But if you get hurt…"

"I'm not gonna get hurt, Mike. You just drive the boat."

Chet again was ready for his next challenge. With Mike still at the wheel, Chet made another pass around one side of the lake, and then set himself up for his first jump.

With the two men at the back of the boat barely able to watch, Chet made his approach and then went up and off the ramp, landing successfully AND safely, eliciting applause and cheers from the three other men on the boat.

"Way to go, Chet."

"You did it."

"Great job…"

Puffing out his chest, the Irishman smiled confidently. "I knew I could do it all along. Let's do it again."

Switching positions with Mike, this time it was Johnny who was doing the driving. Steering the boat over to another dock, they helped Chet get inside the boat to rest a bit before making his second attempt on the ramp.

Using his towel, Chet wiped off his face and head. "Man, this is fun."

When everyone was again settled inside the boat, Johnny pulled away from the dock. As they got near the ramp, Chet noticed two very lovely bikini clad young ladies on a sail boat nearby. Not saying anything about them, he tucked that bit of information away in his head. After a few minutes of resting, and letting Johnny get used to the boat, Chet prepared for his second jump off the ramp.

Johnny pulled around, and Chet lined himself for another jump…the bikini girls now in plain view…watching.

Puffing out his chest and smiling broadly, Chet approached the ramp…unfortunately this jump didn't go quite as well as the first one had. Distracted, and perhaps showing off a bit for the two young ladies, Chet started up the ramp okay, but quickly lost his balance and crashed landed in the water after hitting the right corner of the ramp. Letting go of the rope, Chet was momentarily stunned.

Seeing what had happened to their friend, Mike and Marco gasped loudly in horror, as Johnny's focus was still forward. Telling the paramedic what happened, Mike took over the wheel, and Johnny jumped into the water to help Chet.

"Chet…Chet…" Johnny called out.

Not having seen the accident, Johnny wasn't sure what had happened, and went about treating Chet as if he had been seriously injured.

"Chet…don't move."

After lying in the water stunned for a few moments, Chet regained his composure. "I'm fine, Gage…don't go all paramedic on me."

Pulling up alongside their boat, in another motor boat, was a middle-aged man.

"Hey there. I saw what happened. I'll go ashore and call for help."

Mike nodded appreciatively. "Thank you. Tell them that we may have a spinal injury."

"Will do."

While waiting for proper medical assistance, Johnny did his best to assess Chet's condition. Water rescues were among his least favorite.

"Mike, give me your life jacket, we need to stabilize his neck."

Hearing Johnny's comment, Chet tried to sit up.

"You ain't touching me…I already told you that I was fine."

Ignoring Chet's agitation, Johnny took Mike's life jacket and rigged it so it snugly supported his friend's neck. Also in the water, Marco was supporting Chet underneath, while Johnny continued to examine him.

When Johnny was examining Chet's left hip area, he discovered a rather large gash on his upper thigh, when he found blood on his hands.

"Mike, give me your shirt. I need to put pressure on Chet's leg."

Taking his Hawaiian shirt off, Mike's shirt was immediately used as a bandage on Chet's leg.

Continuing on to his injured friend's lower legs, Johnny was met by a loud yelp when he examined Chet's left ankle.

"Could be a fracture," Johnny said out loud.

Carefully removing both skis, Johnny fashioned a splint using one ski, and two towels to fasten it to the leg.

"Are we done yet?" Chet asked irritably.

"Relax, Chet. Help will be here soon. Does your head hurt?"

"My head? No…not really. This is ridiculous…I'm fine."

"You're fine? Why don't we let a doctor be the judge of that?"

In between Chet and Johnny's arguing, help arrived in the form of two paramedics in the same man's motor boat.

After alerting the paramedics that the four of them were all firefighters with the L.A. County Fire Department, Johnny and Mike shared as much information with the two men as they could about Chet's accident.

Chet was placed on a backboard, and gently lifted onto the other boat where the rest of their equipment was. Johnny went with them thinking that it would be good for Chet to have a friendly face along.

"He'll be taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center," replied one of the paramedics.

"Meet me at the hospital," Johnny called out to Mike.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Arriving at the hospital, Chet was immediately whisked away to an exam room. Johnny, who had ridden up front in the ambulance, was left to fill out the forms at the nurses' desk.

In the exam room, Chet was greeted by a very attractive female doctor.

"Hello there, Mr. Kelly. I'm Dr. Lanning. I'm here to examine you…I promise to be gentle. All I need you to do is to relax…you'll be just fine."

After asking Chet a few other questions, the doctor started her examination. Once it was determined that Chet was able to move his arms and legs, and that he didn't have any spinal damage, he was released from the spinal precautions.

After giving orders to the nurses, Dr. Lanning spoke quietly to Chet to try to help him keep his mind off of things a bit.

It was only a minute later that he realized that he was being stripped and would shortly be lying naked in front of several women, one of which was very attractive. His face must have expressed how he was feeling, because in short order the doctor was reassuring him.

"I assure you, Mr. Kelly that I really am a doctor. You don't have anything that I haven't seen before."

Hearing that, Chet just wanted to crawl under a blanket and pull it over his head. For all of his bravado, Chester B. was nothing more than just a harmless cute teddy bear.

While Chet was inside getting examined, Johnny was now joined by Mike and Marco.

"How is he?" Marco asked worriedly.

"Well, he's not at death's door or anything. I'm sure he'll be fine."

After another thirty minutes, Dr. Lanning came out to discuss Chet's condition with his friends.

"Gentlemen?" The pretty doctor called out to the three men who were seated in the waiting area.

Looking up, both Johnny and Marco's jaws dropped, while Mike was the one who asked about Chet.

"Is this about Chet Kelly?" Mike asked hopefully.

"Yes. I'm Dr. Lanning…your friend's doctor."

Grinning his big Gage smile, Johnny held out his hand. "Well hello. I'm John Gage, and this is Mike Stoker and Marco Lopez. How is Chet doing?"

Returning Johnny's smile, the doctor shook his hand, as well as both Marco's and Mike's.

"Your friend is doing fine. I still have to take him for some x-rays, but I am pretty sure that the only injuries he has is a broken left ankle, and a gash on his upper thigh that we'll be stitching up. You should be able to see him in a couple hours. Why don't you grab some coffee or something? I'll be admitting him for a few days. As soon as he is all settled in his room, I will personally make sure that you are notified."

While the guys were talking about the situation over a cup of coffee, Chet was getting his leg stitched up.

"Okay, Mr. Kelly…we're going to carefully roll you over on your right side, being mindful of your ankle, so I can stitch up that nasty gash on your thigh. We're going to give you a shot to numb the area, first."

Closing his eyes at the thought of what was about to come, Chet continued to wish that he was anywhere but where he currently was. With his left ankle carefully propped on several pillows, he was painfully aware that his butt was hanging out in all of its Irish glory for all the world to see. He felt the needle go into his thigh, and softly whimpered.

"Just try to relax. You'll be good as new in no time."

After waiting a few minutes for the area to numb up, the doctor started the stitches, making small talk as she was doing so.

"I hear you're a firefighter from Los Angeles. I guess this will be a neat story for you to tell the guys."

"Yeah," Chet replied softly, still too embarrassed to speak.

Twenty minutes later, twenty-five stitches adorned his upper left thigh.

"We are done here. Now we will get you to x-ray, and then get a cast on that ankle. I am sorry to say that it's probably broken."

"I kinda figured that…when I crashed landed."

It was another two hours later that Chet was finally resting comfortably in his room. Propped up on several pillows, both behind him, and underneath his left leg, he was being visited by the three men who had seen him through what could have been a disaster. And though he was thankful for their help, he was also embarrassed that it had happened in the first place.

"I still think that if Mike had been driving the boat that second time too, this whole thing would not have happened."

Hearing his friend's comment, Johnny was surprised, but not really. "Okay…well next time, Chet…I'll just let you drown."

Trying to prevent an argument between the two men, Mike changed the subject.

"Why don't you show us that shiny new cast, Chet? I wanna be the first one to sign it…I know just what to write."

Sighing loudly, Chet carefully reached over and pulled the blanket back.

Taking out the black marker that he had just bought from the hospital gift shop, Mike drew a picture of two skis, and an "X" over them, and then signed his name.

"No more skiing for you, Chet. You burned your snow skis, and then you crashed landed on water skis…that's it. The three of us are officially cutting you off."

In the middle of their conversation, two very attractive young ladies enter the room.

"Uh…hi there. Can…can I help you?" Chet stammered out.

The brunette smiled warmly at him as she and her blonde friend approached his bed.

"We saw what happened to you out on the lake before. We just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm…I'm fine…just a broken ankle. How'd you know where to find me?"

"We spoke to Tony. He's the guy in the other boat who called for help. He told us that this is where they brought you," the other girl replied.

"Well thank you. That was very kind of you to be so concerned about me. But really, I'll survive."

The brunette smiled again at Chet, and asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

Thinking that the girl was going to ask him out or say something sweet, Chet nodded his head and returned her smile. "Sure, what is it?"

"You're not a professional water skier, are you?"

"No, I'm not," he answered somewhat dejectedly.

Continuing to smile, she winked at him. "Good…then we don't have to worry about you getting hurt again."

Turning their attention to Mike and Marco, the two women asked them if they had any plans for the rest of the day.

Shaking his head, Mike smiled. "Nope…no plans. Why? Do you ladies have something in mind?"

The pretty blonde held up her keys. "Our red convertible is downstairs in the parking lot, what do you say to us showing you around town?"

Mike and Marco exchanged knowing looks, and then Mike threw Johnny the keys to his red Bronco.

"The car's all yours, Johnny baby."

Leaving the room with the two girls on their arms, Mike and Marco left the two longtime adversaries to continue to argue about who was at fault in Chet's accident.

"But if Mike drove the boat…"

**THE END**

**Author's Notes:** This chapter is dedicated to the Jersey Girls. Thank you for your ideas and inspiration…we'll always have Seaside.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Lighter Side….of Getting Hurt**

**Chapter 3…Johnny**

Entering the station's locker room, Johnny's jaw dropped to the floor when he took in the figure that was standing in front of the bank of lockers across the aisle from where his own locker was located.

Looking up at the paramedic, the young man smiled before offering a greeting.

"Good morning. You must be John Gage."

Johnny continued to stand and stare for a few moments before responding.

"Uh…yeah. I'm…I am John Gage. How'd you know who I was?"

Letting out a small chuckle, the figure replied, "Captain Stanley told me. Besides, I've already met everyone else…they're all outside in the squad room. I'm Anthony Howitzer."

Continuing to stand in place, his jaw still hanging, Johnny couldn't help but to stare. Anthony Howitzer was about 6"4, and with his shirt off, his very muscular upper body was visible. It appeared to Johnny that he was standing there with a Greek god or something. Anthony had light brown hair and chiseled features, and looked like he was a movie star who had just stepped out of a magazine.

Still trying to process who this person was, Johnny finally spoke.

"YOU'RE Anthony Howitzer?"

Anthony nodded his head, a little taken aback by the paramedic's reaction.

"Yeah, I am. Can I ask why you seem so surprised to see me? Didn't you know that I was going to be spending a few shifts with you guys, while Marco Lopez took a few shifts off to help his uncle?"

"I…I did. I guess I was just surprised that you…you were young. I assumed that you were going to be older…"

Again flashing his big grin, Anthony nodded his head. "I'm 25. But I assure you that I am a fully qualified firefighter."

"Oh…I…I didn't mean anything by it. I just…I don't know, I assumed that you were older. With a name like Anthony Howitzer…"

"Mom never liked me being called Tony. Sadly, Anthony's kinda stuck. And yes, Howitzer like the canon. A very distant relative was the inventor."

"Lucky for you…I mean having the last name of Howitzer must offer up some good conversation starters, especially with the ladies."

Continuing to smile, Anthony nodded his head. "You can say that again. Hey, we better get a move on, or they'll start roll call without us."

Continuing to dress, he put his white undershirt on, followed by his light blue uniform shirt, and started to button.

Opening up his own locker, Johnny started to change, but was almost embarrassed to take his shirt off with the other more buff younger man in the room with him. Despite what Doctor Morton had told him about his physique a couple years earlier, Johnny did think he was actually in pretty good shape. Maybe he didn't have the big muscles like Mr. Howitzer apparently did, his were just leaner.

When Anthony was finished dressing, he closed his locker door, and looked over at Johnny.

"See ya out there, Gage."

Nodding his head, Johnny waved to the other man, and was thankful to know that he was leaving the room.

Out in the squad room, the other men were curious as to how Johnny had reacted to Anthony, just because of his somewhat fragile ego when it came to his looks.

"So…you met Gage," Chet said with a sly grin.

"Yep…I met Gage. Seems like a nice enough fellow, though I must say he was acting a little strange."

"Anthony, when it comes to Gage…there's one thing you have to know…he IS a little strange."

Rolling his eyes, Hank shook his head. "Would you knock it off, you twit. Anthony will be with us for a while. We DO want him to know that we're like family…and that we actually get along."

Flashing his captain a big smile, Anthony shrugged. "That's okay, Captain Stanley. I have an older brother that still tries to give me a hard time. Fortunately…I am much bigger than he is."

Hearing the firefighter's response, Roy and Mike both laughed. Anthony sure had Chet's number.

Finally arriving to join the others, Johnny was on the verge of a new obsession…finding out how Anthony Howitzer was able to have the body of a Greek god.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

After roll call was completed, the two paramedics were in the vehicle bay checking their supplies, while Anthony was in the dorms changing the linens.

"So…what do you think of Anthony, Roy?"

Repeating the question, Roy gave his partner a curious look. "What do I think of Anthony?"

"Yeah."

"I don't really know him well enough to form an opinion of him yet. On the out start he seems like a decent fellow. Why do you ask?"

Shaking his head, Johnny tried to form a logical response, but he wasn't quick enough to do so. "No reason…just curious."

"Just curious? There has to be another reason you're asking me, Johnny. What is it?" Roy asked skeptically.

Looking around as if what he was about to tell Roy was top secret, and he was a secret agent, Johnny wanted to make sure that the two of them were alone. Squatting down beside where his partner was busy trying to count IV's and other supplies, Johnny started to whisper. "How do you think he got to look like that?"

Arching an eyebrow, Roy gave his partner a curious look, and replied in a normal toned voice, "Johnny…why are you whispering?"

Returning Roy's look with an annoyed one of his own, Johnny started to shush him. "Shhhh….I don't want anyone to hear us."

"Why?"

"Because. Roy, just work with me here."

Before anything else could be said, the alarms sounded, calling the squad out.

"Squad 51…man down…1-5-8-2 Hickory Street…that's 1-5-8-2 Hickory Street…time out 0840."

Quickly packing up their equipment, the paramedics were in their squad while their captain got on the radio and then handed them the call slip.

Pulling up to the address, Johnny whistled as he took in the sight. Four very attractive bikini clad young ladies were outside on the front lawn of a rather large house, gathered around what Johnny assumed to be the man down.

Getting out of their vehicle, the two paramedics took out their equipment and made their way over to where the girls were gathered.

"Someone call the paramedics?" Roy asked.

Turning to face them was a stunning red head wearing an itsy bitsy yellow bikini. "Yes, I did. It's Tom. He passed out."

Squatting down to take a look at their victim, both Johnny and Roy were amazed to see that the man in question appeared to be an older gentleman.

"What happened exactly?" Roy asked, as they started to examine him.

"I don't know. We were out here on the front porch waiting for him to come home, when he got out of his car and then collapsed after he got half way up the walk. Is he going to be okay?"

Before a response could be made, the older gentleman started to come around.

"Tom…" Johnny called out. "Tom, can you hear me?"

"I hear ya fine. What's going on?" Tom asked as he tried to sit up.

"Hey…relax. Don't move. Something can be seriously wrong with you," replied Johnny.

Sitting fully up, Tom adjusted the necktie that he was wearing. "I'm fine. If you were greeted by these lovely ladies as a surprise, wouldn't you have passed out, too?"

Johnny looked back and forth between Tom and the four gorgeous ladies surrounding him, while Roy continued to convince the man to let them examine him.

"We really should take a look at you, sir."

"Nope, I'm fine…nothing a little dip in the pool, or hot tub won't cure. Thanks for your help and concern, fellas, but I am fine…really. If I don't feel well later, I'll call my doctor."

Sighing loudly, Roy nodded his head. "Okay. If you would just sign this form saying that you refused treatment, we'll be on our way."

"Of course." Tom said, nodding.

While the man signed the form, Johnny started to gather up their equipment, a look of disbelief on his face.

It wasn't until the paramedics were both back at the squad that Johnny asked the question that he really wondered about.

"How does a guy like that get all of those girls?"

"Money, Johnny…money."

After clearing them on the radio, Johnny was still shaking his head. "I really must be doing something wrong."

"Yeah, you are. You're not rich…and you don't look like Anthony." Saying that, Roy knew that he had struck a nerve with his partner. It wasn't that he was trying to be mean…he was merely stating a fact.

On the return trip back to the station, Johnny again asked the question that he had asked back at the station. "So…how do you think Anthony got to look like that?"

Roy sighed loudly. He should have known that Johnny would become obsessed with something like this, the minute he saw Anthony.

"He probably works out a lot, Johnny…lifting weights and that kind of stuff. The rest of it…it's probably genetics. If you're that curious, why don't you ask him?"

"I can't ask him something like that. I mean, what would it look like? I don't want it to seem like I am hitting on him, or anything."

It was a good thing that they were currently at a red light, as Roy couldn't help but to roll his eyes. "Only you could come up with a reason like that."

When they returned to the station, and backed the squad back into the bay, they were met by Chet and his new buddy, Anthony.

"You guys are back. So what was the 'man down' call?" Chet asked curiously.

"You'd never believe it, "Johnny replied as he shook his head in disbelief.

Taking over for his partner, Roy answered the question. "An old man passed out at the sight of four beautiful girls greeting him at home. He's fine, apparently. Coffee on?"

Nodding his head, Chet smiled. "Yep, coffee's on...Anthony made it. He uses egg shells, too. But what about this old guy…what really happened?"

Walking away, the two paramedics let Chet's question hang in the air.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Though both the squad and engine were kept busy throughout the day, things finally quieted down at supper time.

During the day when the squad was on responses with the engine, Johnny observed the way many of the females at a particular scene would act around Anthony. They would practically be flirting with him, and would stare at him as he walked away. This was too much for Johnny. He really wanted to know Anthony's secret, and was intent on getting some answers that evening.

While the guys were all sitting down at the table, enjoying a meal of chicken parmesan, made courtesy of Anthony Howitzer himself, Johnny finally got up the courage to ask about what he had had on his mind all this time.

"Anthony, if…uh…if you don't mind me asking you…how do you…uh…how do you stay in shape?"

Snickering from across the table, Chet finished a count down. "Three…two…one. I was wondering when you were going to ask him about that, Gage."

Shooting his nemesis an irritated glare, Johnny waited to hear the firefighter's response.

Wiping his mouth with a paper napkin, Anthony let out a small chuckle. "I do lift weights, but mostly it's from martial arts. I'm big into something that came out a few years ago, called kick boxing. And I'm going for my black belt in karate, in a few months."

Hearing the younger man's answer to his burning question, Johnny was actually surprised, but also a bit annoyed. Anthony Howitzer was turning out to be nearly perfect. Not only was he this great physical specimen, a good firefighter, and apparently a very good cook, but he was also a self-defense expert.

"Wow." Was the only thing Johnny could think of to say.

Not only good-looking, Anthony was also very humble. "Hey, if you'd like to, I wouldn't mind if you wanted to join me on a work out some time, it's always nice to have company. Besides, maybe I could give you a few pointers."

Swallowing the food that he had in his mouth with a gulp, Johnny suddenly felt everyone's stares on him.

"Oh…I don't know. Maybe one day."

His ever ready grin on his face, Anthony continued. "Tomorrow is good for me. We can meet at my gym. I have a kick boxing session."

Chet wanted so desperately to break out in laughter, but he controlled himself.

Sensing that everyone else was waiting to hear his answer, Johnny nodded his head slowly. "Okay. I'd…I'd have to stop off at home first to get my stuff."

"That would be great."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

For the rest of the evening nothing else was said about Johnny's commitment to join Anthony at the gym the next morning, though everyone was thinking about it and wondering just how exactly it would go.

Johnny was thinking to himself that he was an idiot for agreeing to this. What the heck did he know about kick boxing, or martial arts, or even working out for that matter. The only thing he knew about was running, and riding horses.

While Chet was out back with Mike, emptying the garbage cans, he couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"I would give anything to see Gage in a ring with Howitzer."

Mike shook his head before replying. "This isn't going to turn out good, Chet…we ALL know that. If Johnny knows what's best for him, he'll make up an excuse for why he can't make it tomorrow."

"No chance of that happening, Mike. Gage is doing this now…just to prove something. We all knew that this whole thing with Anthony would become an obsession for him."

Feeling a little sorry for the junior paramedic, Mike replied, "Obsessions, Chet…we all have had them. I seem to recall an obsession you had about a diet…something about dried toast and figs."

"Okay…okay. I'll lay off of Gage, but just know that this whole thing is JUST the beginning. Marco's going to be out for a few shifts."

In Captain Stanley's office, the two paramedics were working on their log book.

"Why do I do this to myself, Roy? And you guys all let me."

Looking up from writing, Roy grinned. "Because…sometimes, it's fun."

Shooting his best friend an annoyed look, Johnny replied, "Gee thanks. I am so glad that I could be a source of entertainment for everyone."

"Don't be upset about it, Johnny. It's just…well, it's part of your charm. You know…you don't have to do this tomorrow. I'm sure Anthony would understand if you couldn't make it."

"Back out?" Johnny asked incredulously. "I can't back out now, Roy. If I did…I'd…I'd never hear the end of it."

"Not from Anthony, you wouldn't."

"Probably not…but I would from Chet."

Shrugging, Roy let out a tired yawn. "Fine…you do what you want. I'm gonna go get ready to hit the hay."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

The next morning, after a very quiet night, Johnny woke up with the rest of the crew, refreshed from a good night's sleep, and confident with the decision that a workout with Anthony would be good for him, and would prove to the others that he was in better shape than he was given credit for.

Putting on his turnouts, and pulling up the suspenders, Johnny was met by Anthony's ever smiling face.

"We still on for this morning, John?" Anthony asked with a bit of uncertainty.

"You betcha. After we get off shift in an hour, I'll head home to my apartment to change into some workout gear, and then I'll meet you at the gym. Just one question though…what's the name of the place?"

"Kenji's Martial Arts Studio. It's on Kent Avenue in Torrance."

"Great. I know the area. I had dated a nurse that…uh, never mind. I'll be there."

Listening to the two men's exchange, the others were all very surprised that Johnny insisted in going through with this.

In the squad room, Mike had gotten the coffee going, while the others were gathered around the table.

Taking a genuine interest in his new friend's "hobby", as much as trying to get a rise out of Johnny, Chet started to engage Anthony in conversation. "So Anthony…when exactly do you go for your black belt test?"

"Probably in October. That will give me plenty of time to refine my skills. Would you like to join us this morning, Chet?"

Casting a curious eye at the Irishman, everyone else, including Johnny waited to hear his response.

"No, that's okay. Thanks for the offer, Anthony…but maybe another time."

When the coffee was done, the engineer poured everyone a cup. Once the coffee was passed around, Hank asked his men about their plans for their next two days off.

"Anybody going to do anything interesting these next two days?"

Letting the hot liquid slide down his throat, Roy sighed loudly. "The usual. Joanne already showed me my 'list' two days ago. And it's pretty detailed. If anyone wants to join me…please feel free."

Mike smiled as he stretched his long arms over his head. "I'll be taking Buddy for a long drive. He loves going on hikes with me, and spending time in the mountains."

Hearing what Mike was going to be doing on his two days off, Johnny had a twinge of regret about agreeing to join Anthony at the gym, after all, hiking in the mountains was one of his favorite past times.

Chet whispered to his captain. "We all know how Gage is gonna be spending the next two days…in the hospital."

Blessed with a very acute sense of hearing, Johnny looked over at his friend, and raised an eye brow. "I heard that Chet. No one's gonna end up in a hospital…except maybe the punching bag."

After hearing Johnny's reply, Anthony couldn't help but to smile. "Uh, we'll see about that, John. Let's take one thing at a time."

"What are you going to do on your time off, Cap?" Roy asked.

"Sit out by the pool, drinking a few beers. Suzanne is visiting her sister in San Diego for a few days…I'll be spending my days off…ALONE."

Roy shook his head. "Boy, I sure envy you, Cap. I'd kill for a few days alone."

"Doesn't anyone want to know what I'LL be doing on my time off?" Chet asked the group, with feigned hurt.

"Go ahead, Kelly. What are you going to do on your days off?"

"Well, Cap…since you asked…I'll be hitting the beach. Lola and I have a date. And you should see how she looks in a bikini…"

Johnny glared at Chet. Lola was a young woman who Johnny had met and dated a few months earlier, but got dumped because she wanted to date a man with what she saw as a sense of humor.

"YOU have a date with Lola? Since when did she start hanging around you?"

"Easy Gage. Last I checked you were no longer dating her. It's been a couple days. We met at a bar a couple weeks ago, and she called me out of the blue about four days ago. She said something about wanting to date a man with a real sense of humor. Not sure what that means, but…"

Johnny, once again was looking forward to his work out with Anthony. He knew exactly whose face he would be picturing each time he hit the punching bag.

Eventually B-Shift arrived, and when 8AM came, the torch was passed to the next shift.

"See you in a bit, Anthony. I'll be there just as soon as I can," said Johnny as he followed Roy out to their cars.

"Sure thing, "Anthony called back.

Out in the parking lot, Roy looked over at his partner. "Well…I guess good luck is in order, partner…so, good luck."

"Why are you saying that? I'll be fine. He's only gonna give me a few pointers, Roy. Don't ya think I know that I am not a black belt in karate, or this other kick boxing stuff? I'll be fine. Maybe I'll call you later. See if I can help you get out of doing some of your chores."

With that last comment, Johnny got in his Rover, and pulled out of his spot.

Watching as his partner drove away, Roy hoped that things went well for Johnny. He knew as well as anyone that Johnny's obsessions some time didn't end well.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Arriving at his apartment, Johnny dropped his duffel bag besides his living room couch, and then made his way to the bedroom to change. Taking off his jeans and shirt, he tossed them on his bed, and then went to his dresser to pull out a tee shirt and pair of gray sweats from one of the drawers.

After he was dressed, he put on a pair of sweat socks, his sneakers, and then went into the bathroom to wash up. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Johnny smiled.

"You still got it, Gage. Today, I'll show Anthony Howitzer a thing or two…make sure he knows that I'm not some wimp."

Grabbing a towel from the towel bar in the bathroom, Johnny turned off the lights, and headed for the kitchen to get a quick bite to eat.

Since he had already had a cup of coffee, he decided that he would just eat something. Opening the refrigerator door, he peered inside to take a look at his options.

Since he didn't want to keep Anthony waiting, or make him think that he was not going to show up, Johnny opted for a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich…lots of protein. Making the sandwich in no time flat, he filled a glass with milk, and proceeded to quickly eat the sandwich, followed by large gulps of the cold beverage.

When he was finished, he was on his way.

The drive to Torrance was uneventful. The traffic wasn't too bad, and the traffic that he did encounter, was made more tolerable by the music on the radio…one of his favorite groups, The Eagles.

Approaching a sign on his right that said, Kenji's Martial Arts Studio, Johnny knew that he had made it to his destination. Pulling into the parking lot, he spotted the same snazzy little red sports car that he had seen the morning before in the station's lot…and knew that it belonged to Anthony.

Getting out of his Rover, Johnny put the white towel around his neck, and locked his car door.

Walking to the building, he tried to exude an air of confidence, but wasn't quite sure how it came off, or even IF it did.

Entering the rather large brick building, Johnny was immediately met by a very young sweet looking Japanese woman. "Konnichiwa," came the greeting.

Johnny smiled at the young woman, and nodded his head. An avid reader, enjoying a wide range of topics, Johnny had coincidentally read up on Japan, only a few months earlier. He remembered that "konnichiwa" meant welcome.

"Konnichiwa," Johnny replied back.

Before he had to worry about attempting any more Japanese, he was saved by the presence of Anthony.

"Hey there, John…you made it."

"Yeah. I made it."

Seeing Anthony wearing his traditional white karate attire, called a Gi, and the brown belt or obi around his waist, Johnny realized just how serious this young man was in his training.

Saying a few things to the young woman in Japanese, Anthony was met by another smile.

"Well, we're all set. Come on back."

Looking around, Johnny spotted several opened doors, and wondered where each one led to.

"Where are we going?" Johnny asked curiously.

"My own private workout room. There are about ten smaller workout areas, and then on the other side of the building there is the main room where the big classes and tournaments are held."

Following Anthony, Johnny continued to look around at the surroundings. The walls were all an off white, and had various Japanese characters on them. There were also pictures hanging on the walls of what Johnny assumed to be students of the place. He even came upon a picture that he recognized as Anthony, dressed in his formal competition wear, and standing beside a huge gold trophy.

"This you, Anthony?"

Grinning a little embarrassingly, Anthony nodded his head. "Yeah. That was from last year's statewide competition. It was held in San Francisco. I didn't think I would win, but I guess I got lucky."

Johnny appreciated the other man's humility, but quickly realized that Anthony was obviously no slouch when it came to this kind of stuff.

Coming to a medium sized room, Johnny followed Anthony inside. It was a mostly empty room, except for several large mats on the floor, a large mirror on one wall, a long heavy hard bag hanging near one corner, and a smaller punching bag near another corner. Also heard was some very soft Japanese music that had been piped into the room.

"Welcome to my other home away from home. Next to working at various fire stations, this is where I spend the bulk of my time. Let's get stretched out. Stretching is very important…or you can get hurt."

Sitting down on the mat, Anthony led Johnny through several sets of stretching exercises. They then stood up and did a few more, as well as stretches for the arms, and other parts of the body. When Anthony felt that Johnny was warmed up enough, he clapped his hands together.

"Okay. Ready?"

Johnny took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Ready."

Seeing the large heavy bag in the corner, Johnny wanted to start with that.

"Anthony, I'm sure you have your routine and all, but you think we can start with that big bag in the corner? I always wanted to hit it…you know with those side kicks?"

"I would start off with something else, John…just until you feel comfortable." However, seeing the hopeful look in the paramedic's eyes, he changed his mind. "Okay. Watch me do it a few times, first."

Demonstrating his skills, Anthony smoothly executed a side kick on the big bag, as Johnny watched in awe. The younger man made it look so easy.

Priding himself on having good balance, after all he was used to walking in some pretty precarious places during rescues, Johnny felt that he'd have no problem attempting this move.

"That was pretty nifty, Anthony."

Smiling at Johnny, Anthony replied, "Piece of cake, right, John?"

"Well…maybe you oughta show me how to do this one more time."

Leaning steadily to his right, and lifting his left leg up and out to the side, Anthony squarely kicked the hard bag in one smooth motion.

"I got this, "Johnny said confidently.

Doing just as the other man had shown him, Johnny leaned to his right, and proceeded to lift his left leg out to the side and kick. What he felt was a pop in a place that no one wanted to have pop. He went down like he had been shot.

With Anthony's experience, he had quickly figured out what had happened…Johnny had pulled a muscle, and based on the paramedic's reaction, it was probably quite serious.

Seeing Johnny writhing in pain, Anthony quickly got down to his friend.

"John…talk to me…tell me what's going on."

Barely able to talk, Johnny was clutching his left hip and buttocks.

"God it huts…think I pulled it…bad."

"Okay, relax. I'll take you the E.R. You need to have it looked at."

"Can't move."

Starting to bend down, Anthony gave Johnny a look of reassurance. "I'll carry you. I 'm pretty sure you can't walk…and I highly doubt that you want to drop your drawers to allow me a look at what's wrong…"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Johnny continued to grimace. "Yeah…let's go."

Carrying Johnny out of the room, he called out a few things to the young woman in Japanese on the way out, and proceeded out to his sports car. He knew that Johnny would be in a lot of pain sitting up, but since the vehicle was only a two-seater, he had no choice. Satisfied that the paramedic was strapped in safely, he pulled out of the parking lot.

On the way to the hospital all Johnny could think of, besides the pain, was how embarrassed he would be facing the nurses and doctors at Rampart, not to mention facing his own friends.

After a quick ride, Anthony pulled into one of the emergency spots outside of the E.R.'s entrance, and then went in to get a doctor.

It so happened that the first person he saw was Doctor Brackett.

"Doc, I have a patient for you out in my car," Anthony called out calmly.

Giving the firefighter a look of concern, the doctor asked what happened.

"It's John Gage…"

Fearing that something was seriously wrong, Kel didn't even bother to let the younger man finish.

"Dix…gurney…Johnny's in trouble."

Following Anthony out to the car, the nurse and doctor were both curious as to what was going on. Though Johnny appeared to be in great pain, he didn't appear to be at death's door.

"Johnny…what happened?" Kel asked.

Speaking for his friend, because he knew that Johnny was unable to, Anthony shared the details of what had happened.

"Could be serious."

Carefully helping Johnny out of the car, they had him on the gurney.

Once inside the E.R., Anthony knew that he wouldn't be able to stay with Johnny.

"John, I'll call Roy…let him know what happened. I…I'm really sorry this happened."

Nodding his head, Johnny was able to grit out a few words. "Not your fault…it's okay."

Wheeling him into the treatment room, he was smoothly transferred to the examining bed.

"Johnny, we're going to have to examine the area. I know it's going to hurt…"

A sheet was placed over him, and his sweat pants were cut off. When he was turned on his side, he was in a lot of pain. The area of his left buttocks was all red and swollen, and a ball could be seen, signaling that the muscle, as large as it was, appeared to be ruptured.

"Johnny, it looks like a rupture. I'm afraid that you'll need surgery."

Gently rolling him back, the face of Doctor Brackett came into view.

"We do need to run a few tests, but I am pretty sure that we know what we are dealing with. I will call Doctor White, our best orthopedic surgeon, in on your case. He should be here soon. You should be able to get some meds in a little while. Hang in there."

Going over to the phone, Brackett made the necessary arrangements, and had Doctor White paged to come to Johnny's exam room.

While Johnny was getting examined, Anthony tried to get in touch with Roy. Knowing the hospital had Roy's number, he got the number that way.

Hearing Anthony's voice on the phone, Roy knew that something was wrong, how serious he had no idea.

"So what happened, Anthony? It's not life or death, is it?" Roy asked anxiously.

"No. He was doing a side kick into a heavy bag…pulled a muscle. He's here at Rampart. I'm sure he'd want you here. When I told him that I'd call you, he didn't tell me not to, so it's a good bet that he wouldn't mind the company."

"Okay, Anthony. I'll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for letting me know what happened."

Hanging up the phone, Roy looked up to the heavens, remembering the almost prophetic words that Chet had said just a couple hours ago. "We all know how Gage will be spending his two days off…in the hospital." Truer words were never spoken.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

After further examination, Johnny had his diagnosis…a rupture of the gluteus maximus muscle. It was a somewhat rare injury to completely rupture it, especially doing what he did, but it was not completely unheard of either.

Resting in a bit more comfort with the administration of some good painkillers, Johnny was in his room, waiting the few hours for the swelling to go down a bit before surgery.

At his side were Anthony and Roy.

"I am so sorry, John. I should have convinced you harder not to try that kick. We should have…"

Cutting the concerned young man off, Johnny tried to reassure him that this wasn't his fault.

"Anthony, this wasn't your fault. You have to understand…"

Feeling a wave of sleepiness starting to overcome him, Johnny wasn't able to finish his sentence.

"I think what Johnny's trying to say is, you have to understand that he's pretty stubborn, and if he wants to do something…he will. Basically, no one could have stopped him, " Roy said with a grin.

Feeling somewhat better that what had happened wasn't totally his fault, Anthony still felt bad.

"I still feel bad, Johnny. You're looking at a pretty long recuperation. You'll be out of work for several months…and who's gonna help you out when you go home…"

Roy continued to smile. "Don't worry, he's got a lot of friends. He'll be fine. And I have a feeling that after his surgery, he'll have a few more friends."

Knowing that Roy was referring to the nurses who would be seeing him post-operatively, Johnny laughed. Despite feeling the sleepiness setting in from the drugs, Johnny was also battling a case of loopiness.

"Guys…I never showed it to you…"

Rolling over, Johnny proceeded to show his backside to both his best friend, and Anthony.

"Isn't it beautiful?" An out of it John Gage asked his two friends.

Before either of the shocked men could say anything, Dixie happened to walk into the room.

Hearing the question as she walked in, she smiled and replied, "One of the prettiest I've ever seen."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Johnny's surgery went well, and his recovery, though long and painful, was uneventful.

Returning to work almost five months later, the first person he met in the locker room was Chet Kelly.

When he opened his locker, Johnny expected a water bomb or something to get him wet, or shower him with powder, but instead he was greeted by a large rubber mold of a rear end, hanging inside his locker. And where his poster of Smokey the Bear was usually hanging on the inside of his door, it was replaced by pictures of butts.

Sighing loudly, Johnny shook his head, somewhat unfazed by the practical joke.

"Aren't you gonna get mad or something, Gage?" Chet asked curiously.

The paramedic shook his head. "Nope. I'm already used to being the BUTT of your jokes…what's a few more?"

Ignoring the things hanging in his locker, Johnny proceeded to get changed for the shift. He might not be creative enough to go after Chet with practical jokes, but he had a new friend who was…Anthony.

**The End**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Lighter Side…of Getting Hurt**

**Chapter 4…Hank**

Waking up, Hank sat up in bed, and slowly stretched his long arms overhead. As much as he loved his wife and kids, he was happy to have the house to himself for the next five days. Suzanne had taken their two teenaged children with her to San Diego to spend time with her sister, leaving Hank to enjoy some well-deserved alone time.

Though he had a mental list of a few things that he wanted to do or accomplish over the next few days, Hank really didn't have anything set in stone. He was content to just enjoy each day as it came. Glancing over at his clock radio, he noted the time as seven o'clock in the morning. Deciding to get out of bed to get an early start on his day, Hank pushed back the comforter, and unfolded his tall frame from out of the bed.

Running his long fingers through his wavy dark hair, he made his way to the bathroom. After taking care of business, and washing up, he looked into the mirror over the sink, and smiled. Today would be a good day. Putting on his purple bathrobe, a recent Father's Day gift from the kids, purple for royalty they said, Hank headed for the stairs to get something to eat. On the way, he happened to pass by his son Steven's room, and looking in, spotted the new Duncan yo-yo that Steven had gotten a few weeks earlier. Smiling to himself, Hank went inside the room, and took the yo-yo from the top of the dresser. The yo-yo in his right hand, he proceeded down the stairs to the living room.

Putting his right index finger into the loop at the end of the string, Hank tried to make the yo-yo go up and down a few times. When he saw that he was successful at that maneuver, he decided to become more daring, and tried to attempt the trick where the yo-yo goes out and does a loopty-loop before returning to the hand. Hank started the trick, but it didn't go quite as planned…he ended up getting the yo-yo back at his face instead, hitting his left eye. Dropping the small orb on the floor, he immediately brought his left hand up to his eye.

"Ow…oooo…yikes." Those were the first words out of his mouth. There were other ones that he had wanted to say, and he thought that maybe those would come a little later, but for now he was content with 'ow.'

Wanting to see what kind of state his eye was in, Hank turned around and headed back to his bedroom to look in his mirror. When he saw his reflection looking back at him, he wasn't concerned as the eye didn't seem to be too bad. It was a little puffy, but nothing else. Going into the bathroom, he went to the sink and splashed some cold water over the eye. Content that his eye was okay, he returned downstairs.

In the kitchen, he pulled out a bowl, a spoon, the container of milk from the refrigerator, and the box of Rice Krispies. Once he poured the milk into the bowl, and the popping sound started, Hank started to think of his crew. He had remembered an argument that Chet and Johnny had had a few months earlier about whether or not the cereal's popping sound was some sort of code…Chet said it was, Johnny thought Chet was nuts.

Sitting down at the table, Hank started to eat. Despite the slight ache in his eye, he felt pretty good, and was ready to take on the world. He decided while eating that the first thing he wanted to do when he was finished, was to go out to his car and check the engine. There were a few adjustments that he wanted to make.

Finishing his cereal, he brought the bowl and spoon to the sink, and quickly washed them. Since it would only be him home for the next few days, he felt that there was no sense in using the dishwasher. Placing the two items in the dish rack to air dry, Hank retreated to his bedroom to change into a pair of jeans and tee shirt. Happily dressing, he decided that a steak for dinner would be a wonderful idea, and made the next project after tinkering with his car's engine, getting out the steak and marinating it for a few hours.

Looking outside at how beautiful it was, Hank deemed wearing anything on his feet unnecessary, and so after getting his tool box from the hallway closet, made his way out to his car parked in the driveway. Putting up the hood, he bent down to reach some of his tools, and started to work. Tightening this, and tightening that, he also checked his oil. When he was almost finished, he stood hunched over the engine, peering down to see if there was anything else he wanted to check. It was at this point that something on the hood got a little loose, and started to come down on him…on his head and left shoulder, causing him to also bang his elbow.

Catching the hood with his right hand, he was able to maneuver it back up into place. For the second time that morning, he rubbed his sore spots, and grimaced. This time he used slightly stronger language. "Damn," he said quite loudly.

Moving his left arm a bit to test his left shoulder, Hank was aware that it had become a bit sore, as was his elbow. Rubbing the top of his head, he was able to feel a small bump developing.

Sighing in frustration, the fire captain looked up at the sky, almost pleadingly. "I don't ask for much, do I? A few quiet days at home by myself…that's ALL I want, okay?"

Replacing the tools back into the box, he gently closed the hood. Picking up the filthy rag that had been used, from the ground, Hank decided to throw it out. With his trusty tool box in his right hand, he walked over to where the garbage cans were, and threw out the old dirty cloth. Not really watching where he was going, on the way back to the front door, he had somehow managed to step on a piece of glass.

With the surprise of the glass being crunched under his left foot, Hank started to lose his balance, but caught himself before falling. He was relieved too, as he did have the tool box in his hand. Things would not have been pretty if he had actually fallen. Checking his foot, he saw that it was bleeding a bit.

"What else could happen," he muttered to himself.

Limping into the house, Hank put the tool box down on the floor next to the front door, and carefully went up the stairs to the bathroom to clean up his foot.

Sitting on the toilet seat, the lid down, he grabbed a wad of toilet paper from the roller, and lifted his left foot up to examine it. The glass was not in his foot, and the cut wasn't really that bad. Dabbing the foot with the balled up wad of paper, he tried to wipe away some of the blood. He then got up to reach into the medicine cabinet for the disinfectant and bandages.

Once he was content that his foot was taken care of, he decided to return to the kitchen to brew a fresh pot of coffee. Taking a careful first step down the stairs, Hank realized that he was overcompensating for his wounded left foot, and vowed to take the rest of the stairs very slowly. Then it happened. As much as the thoughts about being careful entered his mind…he found himself slipping down the rest of the stairs. Landing on his rear end at the bottom of the staircase, Hank was starting to get mad, but instead of cursing, which really wasn't in his nature, he started to laugh instead.

When he slowly maneuvered himself up off the floor, he quickly realized that it was now his right knee and ankle that hurt. Though it was a little painful, he was able to make it to the kitchen…limping all the way there. Plugging in the new Mr. Coffee coffeemaker, he set it up to brew a fresh pot, like he had wanted in the first place.

After waiting a few minutes, Hank poured himself a cup of coffee in his favorite mug, and slowly made his way to the kitchen table to sit his now tired and achy body, down. Reaching for the sugar bowl on the table, he felt a sudden twinge of pain in his banged up left shoulder, and jerking his arm against the pain, knocked over his coffee mug, causing some of the very hot coffee to burn his right hand that had been resting carefully on the table for support.

"Ahh….not again."

Dragging himself to the kitchen sink, Hank ran cold water on his right hand.

"Boy, that really smarts."

Sighing loudly, he decided that he would be better off just lying down for a while, not doing anything. Forgetting about the spilled coffee on the table, he slowly walked to his favorite recliner in the living room, and carefully lowered himself into the chair.

Exhaling loudly, he was relieved to finally be off of his feet, and with no other possible way to get hurt. Turning his head, Hank peered out the open window that overlooked his front porch. It was then that he noticed his neighbor Jimmy Hogan approaching the front door.

Wanting to be neighborly, Hank attempted to get out of the recliner to meet his friend at the door, but abandoned the idea quickly when he felt a sudden and intense pain in his lower and middle back.

Calling out the window, Hank got the other man's attention.

"Jimmy…come on in…door's open."

Entering the house, Jimmy's eyes got real big when he took in the sight of Hank sitting in the recliner.

"My God, Hank…what's wrong? You look awful."

Continuing to grimace, Hank's appearance was cause for his neighbor to be concerned. He started to pale and perspire, and seemed to be in some obvious distress.

Before Hank could answer, Jimmy took it upon himself to call for help. Dialing the number to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, he reported a man down call. Hanging up the phone, he returned to his friend.

"I called for help, Hank. The paramedics should be here real soon."

Nodding his head, in too much discomfort to talk at the moment, the one thing that Hank could think of was that he was glad that Roy and John were currently off-duty.

"Thanks," came the gritted out response.

"I'll wait outside for them. You just try to relax."

Going outside to wait, it was only about seven minutes later that the paramedics arrived.

Looking out the window, Hank noticed the numbers on the squad…51. Though he was not exactly thrilled that his own station was responding, he was at least glad that his paramedics would not be the ones who were handling his call.

Well aware that the address was their captain's, Roy and John, who were pulling some overtime, were both more than a bit concerned as to what was going on.

"Hi there. Sure glad you fellas are here. It's my neighbor Hank." Jimmy greeted in a calm voice.

Hearing that it was in fact their captain who was in need of help, the two paramedics quickly grabbed their equipment and followed the other man inside the house.

"Cap…what's going on?" Both paramedics called out in unison.

Recognizing both voices, Hank opened his eyes to see HIS two paramedics standing in front of him.

"It's a really long story, guys. Could you just help me? Maybe give me something to put me out of my misery?"

"Is it that bad, Cap?" Johnny asked.

Giving the junior medic an almost annoyed look, Hank softly said, "If it wasn't, would you two be here right now, you twit?"

"Okay, just relax. Could you just tell us what happened first? Then we'll take your vitals and call Rampart."

"What's the difference, WHAT happened, Roy?"

"Cap…we have to know what happened, before we can treat you. Just give us the basics."

Noticing their captain's left eye starting to become black and blue, and swollen, the two paramedics continued to try and get the details of what had happened to leave Hank in this condition.

"Well…" Hank relented. "Basically it's my back…my lower and middle back…and my right knee and ankle…and left shoulder and elbow. I also hit my head, cut my left foot, burned my right hand…and uh…hurt my eye, as you can see."

"Did you get into a fight or something?" Johnny asked.

"No fight, pal. It's a really long story. I'll tell you later."

"You hit your head, and now your back hurts? Hate to say it, Cap…but Rampart might order full spinal precautions, especially if it ends up being Morton on the other end of the line."

"John, if you're trying to help me feel better…it's not working."

Trying to get things moving a bit, Roy looked over at his partner. "Johnny, get Rampart on the line…I'll get his vitals. We have enough information to get started."

As Johnny got the hospital on the phone, Roy set about taking Hank's blood pressure and pulse.

"Rampart, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51…I read you loud and clear."

Recognizing the voice on the other end of the phone, Johnny shook his head, and then mouthed the words "it's Brackett."

"Rampart, we have a male, age 37 suffering from severe lower and mid back pain. He also has other injuries…left knee and ankle, left elbow and shoulder, black eye, as well as cut on right foot, and a burn to his right hand. Patient is alert and coherent, but in substantial pain. Stand by for vitals."

"51, was patient in a car accident or other type of accident?"

"Negative, Rampart. Patient apparently had several mishaps at his home. Stand by."

"Ten-four, 51."

Unbeknownst to Hank, on the other end of the line, Doctor Kelly Brackett was exchanging curious glances with Dixie and Doctor Early.

"Roy, you have his vitals?" Johnny asked.

"Yeah, vitals are…"

Getting back on the line, Johnny repeated the additional information to Rampart.

Waiting for their treatment orders, both paramedics kept looking at Hank waiting for him to fill in some of the very substantial blanks.

"Cap, what do you say…tell us what happened? It's for your own good, you know."

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Hank knew that his junior paramedic was right, and that he needed to come clean about the whole story.

"I…I fell down the stairs…slipped really. That's how I hurt my knee and ankle. I hit my head, shoulder, and elbow when the hood of my car fell on me. I stepped on some glass outside, and I burned my hand when I knocked over my coffee cup. Satisfied?"

"What about your eye?" Roy asked curiously.

"Attempted a yo-yo trick…I missed. I hurt my back just sitting here. I tried to get up from the chair…and I couldn't. So no spinal cautions will be needed."

Examining Hank's other injuries they were relieved that things didn't appear to be too serious.

Getting back on the phone, Johnny relayed the final pieces to the puzzle, and then received the treatment orders.

"Ten-four, Rampart. ETA is about ten minutes," said Johnny as he looked up and noticed the ambulance pulling up.

Hanging up the phone, Johnny relayed the orders to his partner.

"Cap, Brackett wants an IV on you…then we can give you something to help with the pain. Just relax, okay…I'll be as gentle as I can."

Closing his eyes, Hank leaned his head back. Although he knew Roy was a very experienced paramedic, and good at what he did, as Hank had remembered from the downed wires experience, he still wasn't exactly looking forward to getting a needle in his arm for the dreaded IV.

Swabbing Hank's arm down with an alcohol swab, Roy prepared the IV.

"Okay, Cap…just relax."

Try as he may, Hank couldn't relax…he was in too much discomfort, and the embarrassment of having his paramedics seeing him in this condition was just too much for him.

In no time, Roy had the IV inserted and the pain medication going as well.

"I think we're all set here. Jimmy, is it? You wanna go outside and have the ambulance attendants come inside, please?"

Eager to help, the other man nodded his head, and did as Roy asked him.

"And to think you did this to yourself, John?" Hank asked, referring to the paramedic starting his own IV after he had gotten bitten by the rattlesnake.

Smiling reassuringly, Johnny patted his captain's arm. "Piece of cake. Relax, Cap…you're in good hands. The doctors and nurses will take good care of you…as you already know."

The paramedics knew that getting Hank off of the chair and onto the stretcher would not be easy, and probably rather painful for their captain.

"This might hurt a bit, but we'll try to do it as slowly and gently as possible."

Hank again closed his eyes tightly and let what needed to be done, be done.

Despite still being in pain, he was now safely on the stretcher and fastened in, a blanket covering him up.

"Let's get you outta here, Cap. We'll call Suzanne from the hospital."

"No we won't, John. If I call her about this, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Jimmy, you mind locking up for us?" Roy asked Hank's neighbor.

"No, not at all. Hank, I'll take care of everything here, and meet you at the hospital a little later."

"Thanks, buddy." Hank replied with a grimace.

Outside, the two paramedics exchanged glances with each other as they were deciding which one of them would go in the ambulance with Hank. It was decided that Roy would go with their captain, a decision that Hank wholeheartedly agreed with. Not that he had anything against Johnny, as he too was an experienced and capable paramedic, it was just that under the circumstances he felt that Roy would be a little less annoying.

"Meet you at Rampart," called out Johnny as he closed the ambulance doors.

On the way to the hospital, Roy was finally able to pry from the captain, the entire story of the morning…things that happened in a span of about two hours.

Though he had found the entire story to be quite unbelievable, Roy didn't laugh or even crack a smile, though he wanted to.

"Well, I'm sorry that you had to go through all of this, especially when you were looking so much forward to your time off alone."

"I appreciate that, Roy. Just promise me that you OR Gage won't call my wife…PLEASE, " Hank pleaded.

"Why don't we play things by ear…see what the doctor says?"

Backing into Rampart's E.R. entrance, the ambulance stopped, and the doors were opened.

In what was a blur to Hank, the stretcher was removed from the ambulance, and he was whisked away to a treatment room, met by Doctor Brackett.

"Captain Stanley?" The doctor asked with surprise, despite obviously recognizing who his patient was.

"Yeah, it's me, Doc. Just shoot me, please."

Smiling understandably, Kel nodded his head, and patted the captain on the shoulder.

"You'll be fine, don't worry."

After helping transfer Hank onto the exam bed, Roy gave his captain a reassuring smile, and left the room, meeting his partner out in the hallway.

"How is he?" Johnny asked with genuine concern.

"Not feeling so well, at the moment, but he'll be fine, Johnny. It doesn't seem to be anything too serious."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's grab a cup of coffee, and I'll tell you the whole story."

Following Roy into the staff lounge, Johnny poured two cups of coffee, and handed one to his partner.

"So…what the heck happened to him?"

Bit by bit, Roy shared the details of how Hank's unfortunate morning unfolded.

"Wow. That's all I can say right now. All of that really happened to him?"

Johnny was in a state of disbelief. He had never known his captain to be clumsy, or even ever have a bad streak of luck.

"Are we going to call Suzanne?"

Roy shook his head. "I promised Captain Stanley that we wouldn't…at least not until we know what's going on with him. It didn't seem to be anything too serious. He'll probably receive a muscle relaxant for his back, and after tests are done to see what else may be going on with his other injuries, will be admitted to sleep off his pain and discomfort. I think we should call all the guys later to let them know what happened. Maybe if he's feeling a little better later, they can come for a visit."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Finishing their coffee, the two men rinsed out their cups, and left them in the sink.

Returning to the base station area, they were met by Dixie.

"Any word, Dix?" Johnny asked with concern.

Sighing softly, she shook her head, but flashed a small smile.

"I know you guys are concerned about him, but I really don't think you have anything to worry about. One of our top orthopedists is coming down to take a look at him. I'm sure with some rest and some more pain medication he'll be as good as new in no time. We'll call you if anything comes up. Will you be calling his wife, or do you want me to do it?"

Shaking his head, Roy sighed loudly. "He didn't want his wife called. She's out of town for a few days. If it does end up being something a little more serious, we'll call her, Dix."

"Okay, Roy. I'll leave it in your hands. What about the other guys…Mike, Marco, and Chet?"

"We'll call them later, too. I don't think Captain Stanley is going to be in the mood for any visitors now…but later on…after more medication? Maybe. We'll see you later."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Three hours later, having been admitted, Hank was now resting in bed. It turned out that none of his injuries were serious. His injuries, including his back were just a series of strains, sprains, and bruises. His cut foot and burned hand were both examined, and treated accordingly…bandages on both.

Receiving his medication, but not quite feeling the full effects of it yet, Hank was still in some mild discomfort, and appropriately miserable because of it.

At the hospital visiting a friend of his who had had his gall bladder removed only two days earlier, Mike Stoker was on his way back to the elevator, when he happened to pass Hank's room. Reading "Henry Stanley" on the room's name plate, he stopped and did a double take.

Not wanting to disturb whoever might be inside the room in the event that it wasn't his captain, Mike instead went to the nurses' station and asked about the patient in room 214-B.

"Excuse me, do you think I can ask you about the patient in 214-B?" Mike asked the young nurse sitting at the desk, looking through a chart.

"Sure. What about him?"

"It says 'Henry Stanley' on the door. That wouldn't by any chance be CAPTAIN Stanley of the County Fire Department, would it? Because if it is, I work with him…I'm his engineer."

Nodding her head, the young nurse smiled at the handsome firefighter.

"Yes, I believe it is. You can see him, if you'd like. But if he is asleep, I'd ask that you see him later…he needs his rest."

Hearing that the person in question was indeed his captain, Mike became concerned at what might have happened to his friend. The last he had known, Hank had been on vacation, and was looking forward to spending time relaxing alone at home.

Carefully opening the door to his captain's room, Mike peered inside. Seeing that Hank was awake, he entered the room quietly.

"Cap? What happened?"

Looking up at the sound of a voice, Hank quickly realized that he had been found out.

"Michael? What are you doing here?" A hurting and tired Hank asked the engineer.

"Me? I asked you first. What happened?"

Sighing very loudly, Hank wearily leaned his head back on his pillows. "It's a long story. I didn't think Roy and John were going to say anything to anyone."

Mike looked at Hank with a rather confused expression. "Roy and John? How did they know about this, but I didn't?"

"They were the ones who came to my house. They're working some overtime, apparently. It's no big deal. I…I had a few mishaps at home."

"Really?" replied Mike incredulously. "It looks more like you went a few rounds in the ring with someone. Mishaps? What kind of mishaps?"

"Mike…I'm not in the mood to talk about this right now. Maybe later, okay?"

"Sure. Anything serious, though?"

"No, I'll live…at least long enough to give Chet latrine duty a few more times, if he doesn't stop antagonizing Gage."

Hearing his captain crack a joke, Mike was convinced that Hank was doing okay.

"Anything I can get you? Some magazines or a newspaper?"

"No thanks, pal. I'm alright. Just going to try to get some sleep…if these pain meds ever kick in."

"Do you need me to call Suzanne?"

Hearing his wife's name mentioned, Hank shook his head. "No."

Continuing to stand looking at his captain, Mike waited for more of an explanation. When nothing else was said, he continued.

"She WAS called, wasn't she?"

"No, she wasn't called…and she WON'T be. She deserves some peace and quiet while she's away…and so do I. If she needs to be called at some point…I'll take care of it then."

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll be heading out then. If you need anything, you can call me at home."

"Yeah, sure. See you later, Mike."

Hank wanted nothing more than to be left alone in his misery. He knew that his engineer was concerned and wanted to be there for him, but he was not in the mood for company.

Mike nodded his head, and left the room.

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Later that evening, a better rested and more comfortable Hank was visiting with his senior paramedic.

"How are you feeling, Cap?"

Smiling tiredly, Hank nodded his head. "I'm doing okay, Roy. Where's John? He's okay, isn't he?"

"That's debatable," replied Roy, leaving his captain to wonder what was wrong.

"Did he get hurt?"

"Well…it's nothing too serious. Remember that yo-yo trick that you tried this morning?"

"He didn't?"

"Yep. It wasn't pretty. We were at a drug store picking up some aspirin for one of the guys back at the station, who had a bad tooth ache. When we were at the counter, Johnny noticed a container full of yo-yo's. Much like the time he just HAD to try the skateboard, he picked up the yo-yo and attempted the same trick that you had tried this morning…with the same results."

"Well, I for one won't laugh about that," Hank said with a smile.

"He's getting checked out by Doctor Morton. I got a call from Mike. He mentioned that he had been visiting a friend here when he came across your name on the door."

"Yeah. I'm afraid that I was less than kind to him."

"Yeah, he mentioned that. He understands. I tried to get a hold of Marco and Chet, but neither one was home."

"Just as well, Roy. I can just hear the ribbing I'm going to get from Chet."

Entering the room, Johnny came in holding a small ice pack to his left eye.

"I finally believe your whole story, Cap. Those yo-yo's are dangerous."

Letting out a small laugh, Hank was able to commiserate with the young paramedic.

"Yeah, tell me about it. You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Cap. What story can I feed the guys back at the station? Telling them that it was a yo-yo gone bad…"

"Tell them that you got hit in the eye by an agitated victim. They'll believe that."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

The next day after they had gotten off shift, and met for breakfast at a favorite diner, Roy and Johnny had swung by the hospital to bring their captain home to finish his recuperation in the privacy of his own house.

Making sure that he was comfortably resting on his couch, the two paramedics asked him if there was anything else they could do for him.

"No, I'm good, thanks. You guys have been a big help. My neighbor Jimmy will be by soon to spend the day with me. He remembered me mentioning something about a steak dinner that I was looking forward to, and said that he was going to grill some steaks for dinner."

"Good. Then I guess you have everything under control. We'll see you later. If you need anything, call one of us."

Hank smiled appreciatively at the two men. "I will. If I did call someone, Roy it would probably be you. I think your partner needs to lay low for a while and ice that eye. You don't want anyone to think that you got into a fight or anything, John."

"Live and learn, right Cap," Johnny replied.

"What do you want us to do about Chet and Marco?"

"You can still let them know that I had short stint on the disabled list, Roy. Brackett said that I should be fine in a few days. By the time Suzanne comes home…I'll be as good as new."

**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

By the time his wife and kids had returned from their trip to San Diego, Hank was in fact good as new.

Returning to work, he was back to his old self, but his crew all had black eyes in various shades of the color.

"What happened to you guys?" Hank asked increculously.

Mike shook his head. "Touch football game. Things got a little rough out there. I got hit in the face with the ball when I tried to catch it."

"Joanne elbowed me last night in bed. I had just finished reading a magazine and was lowering myself in the bed when she went to roll over. Her elbow connected with my eye pretty solidly."

Marco sighed softly. "I got kicked in the eye by a squirming toddler. My sister Ana's daughter and I were having a tickling contest…"

"And you lost?" Hank guessed with a smile.

"All I can say, Cap is that your yo-yo defense holds up. I don't think that trick that both you and Johnny had attempted last week is possible."

Hank nodded his head.

"Yep, it is. Check it out."

Taking out the yo-yo from his pocket, Hank proceeded to do the trick without incident. "Steve taught me the trick yesterday. It's really quite easy…if you have coordination."

Leaving his men in the squad room as he made his way out to the vehicle bay, Hank's laughter trailed behind him.

"They really are twits."

**The End**


End file.
